Homeworld of the Transformers. Drained and ravaged by thousands of vorns of civil war, Cybertron is a mere barren husk of once beautiful and thriving cybernetic world. While recovered enough to allow Transformers to move on its surface once again, it is still plagued by ion storms and any Transformer unfortunate enough to venture there without energon supply of their own is certain to face a stasis lock. - Cybertron forum is currently inactive.

Thunderwing briefly considered the question from Blackwind. It was something he had been pondering for a while now himself, but he had yet to reach a definitive conclusion, >>”We will stay together initially at least. I don’t want to make too many critical decisions until I have seen the situation firsthand. If we encounter too many obstacles I don’t want us broken up, but if it begins to take up too much time then splitting up may become necessary. Did you have any suggestions on that matter?"<<

The sleek black Seeker cruised alongside Thunderwing as she pondered his question. Sticking together was probably the better idea, but she honestly felt that moving through the winding tunnels of the underground would be better handled if the team split up. If they could cover more ground the sooner they could accomplish their task.

Blackwind remained silent until she saw the clearing where the fissure was located. She finally spoke up through the private comm channel before the team got too close to their target.

>>"I agree that we should stay together, initially, but in order to achieve our ultimate goal we should branch out. Perhaps Darkwing, Dreadwind and Skullcruncher could proceed without Weirdwolf, you and I."<<

With the speeds she and Thunderwing were capable of; the duo arrived at the coordinates before the others, however the rest of the team was not far behind. Blackwind transformed in the air and gently lowered to the ground just beside the void leading into the underworld of Cybertron.

As soon as Weirdwolf arrived to the fissure, he transformed into his cyberbeast mode and jumped down, bouncing between the walls of the fissure until he reached the right opening. With his keen sensors sweeping deep into the opening leading into one of the many tunnels spanning across the underground of Cybertron - seeking for any trouble. There was nothing they needed to be wary of within the range of his optical sensors but his olfactory sensors did find traces of various beasts that lurked into the tunnels. Mostly Sharkticons and Allicons, offsprings of leftovers from the wars Transformers had waged against Quintesson Supremacy thousands of vorns ago.

>>"Clean the opening is, nothing there is to fear. Oooh, a cybersnack."<< He reported back to the other Decepticons still on surface before a cyber rat caught his attention and ended up to be a snack for him - and as he did not remember to cut out his comm-link, the other Decepticons ended up witnessing the terrified screams of his prey and the sounds he made while tearing the poor critter to shreds.

Blackwind watched intently as Weirdwolf landed and swiftly transformed and then leapt down into the fissure. She kept her optics fixed on the opening waiting for any information from the beastly mech. It didn’t take long before Weirdwolf had reported back that the tunnel he was currently located in was clear of any vermin and fearsome creatures. Unfortunately, Weirdwolf also managed to revolt the Seeker femme by munching on some critter while his comm. line was still open.

Blackwind’s face twisted in disgust as she turned to look at Thunderwing. She shook her head slightly as she finally spoke.

“I’m starting to think Shockwave assigned Weirdwolf to this team in order to irritate me to no end."

She let out a heavy sigh before she looked back to the fissure and jumped into the darkness. The black Seeker femme landed near Weirdwolf as the beast was finishing up his light snack. Blackwind cleared her throat in order to get his attention.

“Ahem. Can we expect that the remainder of our trek will be free of any hindrances, and of your snacking?"

As Blackwind landed into the tunnel opening, Weirdwolf turned to face the femme, tilting his head. He had extremely keen senses even for a Transformer and he had heard what Blackwind had said to Thunderwing. He did not let it show though. Perhaps this journey wouldn't be all that dull after all if this femme was so easily disturbed.

"Safe are we for a time being. How long however, tell I cannot." Weirdwolf replied to Blackwind's query just as the massive Skullcruncher landed into the opening, causing a small tremor. The tracker turned his attention to his larger comrade. "Out came you through here. Followed by beings various you were. Courage all lacked for tunnels to leave."

"I am not surprised." Skullcruncher grumbled. "Made few enemies, even some followers on my last visit. Who'll know this time?"

Thunderwing touched down next to the other Decepticons, quickly followed by both Darkwing and Dreadwind. The two decepticon fliers brandished their rifles, not particularly relishing the thought of going in the tunnel or the talk of whatever foul creatures Skullcruncher had encountered there before. Thunderwing himself remained unarmed, aside from the weapons systems embedded into his enhanced body.

He flashed the briefest of smiles to Blackwind before he switched to a more serious and command like posture. "Weirdwolf, you will take point, followed by Skullcruncher. Between your tracking ability and Skullcruncher’s previous expeditions down here I will assume you will lead us safely through the underground maze that is our homeworld. Darkwing, Dreadwind, you will take up rearguard. Your flying skill and speed should allow you to rapidly catch up with the rest of us should we encounter any trouble."

The two fliers exchanged a look between them, but remained quiet for now. It was best not to discuss the futility and ultimate ugly demise they saw their new orders leading them to right in front of the commander who had given them. They would wait until they were out of audio receptor range before they verbally bemoaned their certain ugly fate on this mission.

"Blackwind and I will remain at the center of the party to deliver orders more efficiently and be in position to quickly aid any Decepticons in distress. Now lets get moving." He gestured for Weirdwolf to begin to lead the way.

Thunderwing had plainly detected the uneasiness that his fellow fliers were displaying at this mission. While some of it was certainly a general distaste at it, in the case of Blackwind, or simply due to their natural personalities, as in the case of Darkwing and Dreadwind, he suspected there was a bit more to it. Being trapped underground like this was going to feel unnatural to anyone who specialized in aerial combat and defense. They would feel hampered, closed in, perhaps even crippled. He might have felt the same had he not grown accustomed to living in his bunker on Cybertron.

As they moved out he decided that silence would not be of any help. They had might as well gather whatever intel they could get now before they got very deep. "Skullcruncher, you said you encountered creatures down here before. Can you tell us anything about them, their abilities or intentions?"

"Go ahead I shall, faster I move alone. Not too far ahead will I go. Cruncher of skulls' sensor range I shall not lose." Weirdwolf acknowledged Thunderwing's command and bounced ahead of the others - deeper into the tunnels.

"He knows my range well commander." Skullcruncher grunted. "Better this way, I hear I have a certain habit that irritates his sensitive audio sensors." He added, flashing a grin and grinding his razor sharp teeth together to serve as a sample what was to come if they would find any aggressors in the tunnels.

"I met mostly glitch mice, retrorats and rustbugs. Few alloygators. Occasional signs of tunnel dwellers. You know, those Transformers that have left the surface that are rumored to have settlements underground. Didn't bother to investigate. Also run into a small band of Cannibalizers, killed few of them, rest of them ran. Had to fight few hunter parties of Sharkticons too. Cowardly creatures if you have bigger jaws than they do. There are surprisingly many of them living under the surface considering they were brought here by Quintessons. At least that's what we have been told. Personally, I think they have more common with us that one would think by first glance. Maybe they have been here always. There's much we don't know under the surface. I also saw marks from claws that I have never seen before, didn't meet their owner. Given the size of them, it could have been a challenge." He explained as Thunderwing requested information about the creatures living in the tunnels. "And some of our own legacy. Remember Scorponok's cloning experiments with Insecticons? Plenty of failed ones nesting down here. If you see a nest, stay clear unless you can burn it."

With his rifle in his right hand and sword in left, Skullcruncher began walking after Weirdwolf, his sheer bulk making it difficult for anything to get past him in the tunnel the size they were in. "I trust you saw your fair share of underground creatures during your stay on Cybertron commander?"

As the group began to make their way into the tunnel, and ultimately into the bowels of their home world, Thunderwing queried about what kind of creatures Skullcruncher had come across. Before the hulking Decepticon could respond, Weirdwolf spoke up letting the team know that he would move on ahead, but he’d still be in sensor range. It was then that Skullcruncher spoke up. Blackwind listened quietly as the group traversed the first of many turns.

Once Skullcruncher had finished he posed a question to Thunderwing, but Blackwind interjected before the scientist could answer.

“The claw marks you mentioned could belong to a Demon. Vorns ago I was given an opportunity to read through some of the ancient texts. Some of the scriptures mentioned creatures that roamed the Underwold. They were described as towering titans with the power to devour the very life force of any sentient being."

The Seeker femme had a deadpan expression as she followed behind Skullcruncher. After a moment or two of silence she spoke up once more.

“If those scriptures have any truth to them then we’ll need to keep our optics open."

Blackwind looked over her shoulder at Darkwing and Dreadwind.

“You two better keep alert. There’s a good change these Demons will come at us from behind."

She turned her head to look up at Thunderwing and flashed him a slight smirk. She took the ancient texts with a grain of salt, and since there was no proof of these creatures actually existing, she had no reason to believe in them.

Thunderwing walked quietly along with the rest of his group, taking in the warnings from Skullcruncher and the less then serious words from Blackwind. While the others might be willing to more casually dismiss the threats or tales of creatures lurking inside of Cybertron he wasn’t going to take anything lightly. With the environmental collapse and evacuation of the surface it may have quite likely driven whatever creatures lived down here to more bold actions. They had lived on Cybertron now virtually unchallenged for quite some time. They would likely not take too lightly to their intrusion.

“Yes, I recall the swarm," he replied to Skullcruncher. “I had hoped they would have starved themselves into stasis lock by now though. If there are any still active then they most have found some sort of cache or alternate source of fuel to keep functional." The swarm wasn’t of too much concern though. There greatest strength lied in sheer numbers. As long as they only encountered a few of them and made sure they did not escape to get others they shouldn’t have any problems with them. The various unknowns the lurked down here concerned him far more.

*

Darkwing and Dreadwind listened as Blackwind mentioned the supposed ‘demons’ that lurked beneath the surface of Cybertron. The two fliers were fairly nonplussed by her comments however.

“I had already figured out that mythological creatures were on the lists of things to be worried about ending us down here. They are kind of down the list though," Darkwing replied. “I figured they would be well below tunnel collapse and friendly fire incidents."

“I was thinking they would be around complete systems short out due to planetary energy discharge," Dreadwind added.

“Yeah, now its different if you were talking about how bad the death would be. Then I would put being killed by demons ahead of tunnel collapse, but still behind friendly fire."

Dreadwind nodded sadly. “The instant of humiliation alone about being killed by someone on your own side combined with the pain makes that easily the worst death possible on this mission."

"Well, apparently they found whatever they needed to stay alive. Whether there's just one nest left of dozens, I do not know." Skullcruncher replied to Thunderwing while pushing forward.

Hah. Demons. Skullcruncher thought while listening to the story Blackwind was spooking Darkwing and Dreadwind with. Shaking his head slightly, amused over the stories, he continued to follow Weirdwolf's tracks. He was far more familiar with underground of Cybertron than most of Transformers. While he had not admitted it, he had actually indentified the claw marks. He just did not want to scare the already annoying rear guard they had to become utterly useless. The demons were real but they were hardly the gigantic, energy-sapping monsters of the legends. If it had been up to him, the word demon would have been left to describe beings far more powerful. Still, as much the legends exaggerated the size and abilities of these creatures, there was some truth in them.

The demons were sentient, ferocious predatory species with their origin lost from the pages of history. The sheer number of Transformers had forced them to escape under the surface of face extinction long before Skullcruncher himself had even been created. Their sizes varied almost as much as Transformers', the biggest being roughly his own size if far more slender while smallest being no larger than a mini-con. Perhaps the stories of their exaggerated size had something to of misinterpreting ancient texts or Cybertronians just being smaller when such texts were written. He doubted that the demons of the past had been any larger than their modern day offsprings.

The danger was in their pack hunter mentality. They would overwhelm their victims with their numbers, separate the weakest from the group and quickly disappear with their chosen target. Often the dead husks of their victims were later found siphoned empty of energon. Which in turn had helped to create the stories of them being energy-vampires. Which was technically true, but the claims that they just could just touch their victim and suck one out of energy were as far fetched as Skullcruncher claiming to be the next Prime. Still, considering he hadn't met a single demon on his last trip to the Plasma Energy Chamber, he hardly believed in meeting them this time either.

>>"Split the corridors shall. Travel left you need to. On right, a swarm nest found can be. Rear guard wake up has to. Their safety no longer guaranteed is."<< Weirdwolf reported back to the group through a comm-link. If anything, this message made Skullcruncher to screech his teeth again. Perhaps there was a promise of battle ahead. Anything to break this stagnancy would be welcome.

Skullcruncher’s reply wasn’t particularly reassuring, but Thunderwing had suspected that the other Decepticon wouldn’t have any real details on the swarm’s survival. It was just another minor concern they would have to be on the look out for while plumbing the depths of Cybertron. When he spoke he spoke to all of the group, including sending it out on a communication frequency so Weirdwolf would receive it as well. “If you spot any of the swarm do not hesitate in attacking them. We must not let any of them escape to alert the rest."

He returned Blackwind’s quick smile before refocusing on the trip ahead. The Decepticon grimaced as he received the signal from Weirdwolf. At least they were aware of that particular nest, thus making sure they could avoid it. Still, it was far closer then he wanted to get to any of the monstrosities lurking down here. >>”Message received Weirdwolf. We will follow you down the left tunnel."<<

Thunderwing gripped his cyclone cannons in his hands as they approached the branch in the tunnels. As long as they moved quickly and quietly it should prove to be any sort of problem for them. He followed Skullcruncher at the lead while Darkwing and Dreadwind brought up the rear with Blackwind in the middle. The two fliers, while often depressed, were not cowards, or stupid for that matter. They walked carefully, their own guns at the ready. Dreadwind carefully walked backwards to keep his optics looking behind them while Darkwing watched the opposite direction. Say what you might about them but they made a good team.

The Decepticon was ready to relax a bit once they had gotten a ways down the tunnel when the struck. They burst out from the walls and the ground, obviously haven lain there waiting for prey to pass by. The creatures were almost skeletal in appearance, with thin limbs ending in claws on the hands and feet. They did have broad chests, topped with heads adorned with two large horns on the sides and a mouth filled with fangs, their optics a dark red color. They were large creatures, bordering on the size of a Dinobot. He could make out a bit of drool dripping out of the one standing in front of him. All in all 5 of the beasts stood around them, boxing them in.

“Hungrrrrrrry…." The one in front of him managed to rumble out.

Thunderwing did not hesitate. He fired both of his cannons at the beast, throwing him back into one of the tunnel walls. “Decepticons, take them out!" He charged at the one he had just sent flying back, hoping to pummel it to death. At the same time he opened a channel to Weirdwolf. >>"Weirdwolf, return to the group! We are under attack!"<<

At the rear of the group Darkwing and Dreadwind pelted another of the beasts with fire. The creature laughed at the fire as it seemed to only slow him down. “Hurtsssss, but hungerrrrr morrrre."

Darkwing grimaced as he continued firing. “I’m thinking mythological beasts just moved up the list Dreadwind."

Dreadwind merely nodded in reply as he tried to focus his fire on the creature’s knees. Darkwing’s fire was hurting it, but he knew there was only so much real damage they could do. He needed to find some way to actually stop it, preferably before it got close enough to use its claws.

"How the slag Weirdwolf didn't get their scent?!" Skullcruncher boomed as the creatures appeared all around them. He did not stay to wait for an answer though, instead he swung his energy sword at the closest beast which quickly jumped backwards to escape from inevitable death at the hand of the large Decepticon.

"Sloooow..." The beast mocked and launched an assault of its own, its claws connecting with Skullcruncher's armor but only scratching it.

"Too tough for you?" Skullcruncher smirked, seized the beast's clawed arm with his free hand and pulled the creature closer to make an escape impossible, his own clawed digits cutting into the beast's metal skin. The beast fought back with all the fury of a wounded feral predator but it was fighting a losing battle. Holding the beast firmly within the reach of his sword, Skullcruncher drove his sword through the creature's thin mid section, twisted it and pulled the sword off the creature in a way that left the beast both impaled and almost cut in two. Pulling hard with the arm holding the beast to get momentum, Skullcruncher threw the beast against the opposing tunnel wall in a wide arch, where it shattered in two following the impact.

As he began searching for another target, he couldn't avoid noticing how the remaining beasts were clearly moving away from him and trying to separate him and Thunderwing from the flyers whom the beasts had apparently chosen to be easier targets.

Shrugging his shoulders in an apparent sign of not really caring how the situation was developing, Skullcruncher transformed into his cyberalligator form and lunged at one of the beast that were moving towards Blackwind, loudly clasping his jaws around the leg of one beast, pulling it down to his level with his massive strength and promptly starting to do exactly what the beasts themselves were there to do - feeding.

Meanwhile, a reply came back from Weirdwolf to Thunderwing. >>"Afraid I am, not able to help. A swarm I will alert if were I to run back to you now. Summon Beastbox and Overkill you cannot?"<<

The beasts struck quickly encircling the group in mere moments. Thunderwing was the first to act and fired on one of them with his weapons. Blackwind had little time to think as she tried to make sense of the situation. Dreadwind and Darkwing were engaged with another creature at the rear of the tunnel, while Skullcruncher had just finished off another. The Seeker femme finally realized that Thunderwing and Skullcruncher were lured further up the tunnel leaving her and the two other fliers separated and surrounded by the rest of the beasts.

Blackwind’s attention was brought back to her immediate right where she heard a loud crunch. She quickly jumped back as one of the monsters was taken down by Skullcruncher in his cyberalligator mode. In the confusion she decided her only option was to sneak up on one of them and surprise it.

As Blackwind was distracted by Skullcruncher’s attack, another Demon took notice of the femme and began to make its way towards her, but when she suddenly vanished from sight the creature growled in confusion and annoyance.

“Gonnnne, wherrrrre?"

With the creature stumped Blackwind was able to make her way behind it. She had noticed it zero in on her before she vanished. Once in position she raised her arm and fired her laser into the beasts’ back. It screeched in pain but recovered quickly. The skeletal creature spun around to see who had fired on it and came face to face with the barrel of Blackwind’s laser. She flashed an evil grin at the stunned beast and then fired leaving a sizable hole in its cranium.

She lowered her arm and looked back at the rest of the team. Taking stock of where the monsters were she tried to recall how many there were. Unfortunately they were coming into the tunnel from several different locations it was hard to keep track of their numbers. As she prepared to engage her invisibility she heard something behind her, but she wasn’t quick enough to turn and fire on it. The Demon slashed out with its razor sharp claws ripping into Blackwind’s back causing sparks and severing a few lubricant and fuel lines.

“AGHHH!"

She dropped to the floor trying to clutch her back. The creature let out satisfied grunt as it looked down at the prone Seeker.

Darkwing and Dreadwind continued to hammer away at one of the demons with their guns. They had successfully mangled the creature’s legs but still it clawed after them. Finally Dreadwind simply snapped and charged at the creature, bringing his guns right up to its head. “Why do you want to kill me so badly? What did I do to deserve this?!?" The creature’s cranium was quickly reduced to molten slag under the point blank assault from the Decepticon.

Darkwing had to pull his partner away from the smoldering corpse to get him to stop firing. “Alright Dread, I think you got him. Now we just have to worry about the other monsters coming to eat us." The two fliers backed up against the tunnel wall and began pouring fire into another of the creatures as it stalked closer to them.

*

Thunderwing slammed his fist into the face of the monster that had initially attacked him. It was a solid hit on the beast and knocked its head back against the wall, hard, but it didn’t seem to do any real damage to it. It lashed back out at him with its razor sharp claws, but his carapace was able to absorb or deflect most of the blow. He moved quickly to grab its wrists before it could lash out at him again.

The two mechs struggled with each other for a few seconds, pushing back and forth against each other. Finally Thunderwing lashed out with the corrosive laser mounted on his head, aiming for the other being’s optics. The beam briefly touched one of the optics, drawing its attention away from the back and forth between himself and the Decepticon. It was enough for Thunderwing to gain an edge over the monster and fling him up and over himself, slamming the demon face first into the ground. Drawing his laser rifle he fired a handful of rounds into the monster’s head to put it down for good.

His attention was drawn to the cry of pain from Blackwind. He looked over to see one closing in on her, along with other creatures attempting to cut the fliers off from Skullcruncher and himself. A blast from his cyclone cannon sent the demon staggering back as he charged forward. He stopped in front of Blackwind, one hand pushing her back while the other continued firing. “Fliers, get between Skullcruncher and myself. They are attempting to break us up into smaller groups that can be overwhelmed by numbers." Darkwing and Dreadwind began slinking along the wall to join the other Decepticons, a barrage of fire covering their retreat.

The Decepticon frowned at Wierdwolf’s reply to his message. He would have to make sure he remained closer to the main group in the future. Thunderwing had been reluctant to unleash Soundwave’s minions. While Beastbox and Overkill were skilled fighters neither of them was known for subtlety or precision. He would rather not suffer from a cave in or alerting others to their presence here, but it seemed he had little choice at this point. "Skullcruncher, unleash Beastbox and Overkill. With their help we may be able to put a quick end to this battle.

While Skullcruncher was unquestionably powerful, he could easily get distracted in the heat of a battle and was at times slow to grasp the big picture despite hardly being unintelligent. He was in the zone, happily munching away the beast he had managed to take by surprise only moments earlier. Feeling how the energon from the beast flowed into his own system while being blissfully unaware of what the so called demons were trying to do. Until Thunderwing's voice woke him up from the trance.

"Urh..." Noises of metal cracking under the massive pressure of Skullcruncher's jaws was followed by a loud noise of the bestial Decepticon spitting his mouth empty before transforming back to robot mode. Grinding his teeth together and grinning maliciously, Skullcruncher shot two small chips out of a personal container. Accompanied by bright light and crackling of energy, the two chips grew and transformed. Another into a powerfully built purple ape-like beast somewhat shorter than Blackwind and the other into a white and blue cyberbeast with at least as much bulk as Thunderwing had. "Go for a kill boys!"

Following Skullcruncher's command, the duo went to work. Beastbox rushed at on of the demons surrounding the flyers, tackling it to ground and following his assault with an onslaught of vicious hammering punches. Meanwhile Overkill swung couple of beasts down with his tail before grabbing one in his jaws and proceeding to tear the creature into pieces.

Skullcruncher did not stay to see how his allies were doing, instead he charged into the crowd of demons, swinging his serrated energo-sword in wide angles, cutting couple of the creatures down and forcing some to step back from Dreadwind and Darkwing. "Crush them beneath our feet! Show no mercy!"

Blackwind was able to get back to feet after Thuderwing drove off the Demon that had attacked her. She was still in considerable pain as he began pushing her back behind him. She looked up towards Darkwing and Dreadwind as the two other fliers began to edge their way to safety. Blackwind also noticed Skullcruncher release Beastbox and Overkill. With the help of the two cassettecons perhaps they could gain the upper hand on these creatures.

Once her internal repair systems began to initiate she joined in the battle. She wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t be taken by surprise again, therefore she positioned herself at the wall and she began firing on the relentless creatures.

“This isn’t working! There must be another way to stop them!"

The femme Seeker continued to lay waste to the Demons when, out of nowhere, something wet dripped on her face. She stopped her assault and brought her hand to her face. With her index finger she swiped over the area. Her optics narrowed as she examined the substance, and then another droplet hit her face. Her optics widened as she looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel.

Before she could even respond the Demon dropped down landing directly in front of her. She began to raise her arm but the monster had already curled its clawed hand into a tight fist and sent it right into Blackwind’s face. The hit was hard enough to knock her back into the wall where the back of her head slammed into the hard surface. She slid down the wall and finally fell over onto the floor unconscious.

The demon quickly grabbed a hold of her right ankle and began to drag her through one of the makeshift entrances the creatures had made.

While Blackwind was being dragged off the Demons still engaged with the rest of the Decepticons began to close in their ranks. Keeping them busy while their cohort made away with its prize.

Thunderwing poured fire into the approaching demons. The blasts mostly slowed them down, but eventually even these beasts succumbed to their sustained fire. It was easier to kill them up close, but Skullcruncher, Overkill and Beastbox had taken over that roll. He would allow them to vent their frustrations on these monsters while he covered them. Unlike those warriors he had no particular desire to wade directly into the fight, although testing his carapace in direct combat might prove interesting.

As if reading his thoughts one of the demons got close enough to slash his chest. The Decepticon responded by slugging him in the face. The demon staggered backwards but lunged at him with a roar. He seized the beast by his neck and lifted him in the air. It slashed and snarled at him as he squeezed his hands. He could feel its neck crumpled under his grip. With a cruel grin on his face he tore its entire cranium off of its now limp body.

He had been too busy battling the creature to notice the demon landing behind him. Thunderwing turned only in time to see the monster disappearing down a side tunnel, dragging Blackwind behind it. A scowl formed on his face as he saw the other demons begging to fall back. "Skullcruncher, get Weirdwolf back here. Drag him back if you have to, but we need his tracking ability." The Decepticon scientist then ducked into the tunnel the demon had escaped in. If he moved quickly he hoped he could follow the beast and its captive himself.

"I don't think I will need to!" Skullcruncher boomed back to Thunderwing and slammed a demon he was holding by its face headfirst against a wall, crushing its cranium.

"This was a good exercise though! Too bad they are turning their tail already!" He added, and followed Thunderwing through the crack in the wall after enlarging the opening a bit to fit through, leaving Beastbox and Overkill assist Darkwing and Dreadwind in the main tunnel.

However, despite of knowing something Thunderwing apparently didn't, Skullcruncher was disturbed by the actions of his commanding officer. Weirdwolf had reported being dangerously close to a swarm nest when Thunderwing had called for help, and he had still been within Skullcruncher's sensor range as he had promised. Had Weirdwolf rushed to help, the nest would have been alerted. And the addition of a Swarm to all these demons would have probably got them all deactivated. You would be willing to endanger all of us just for one Decepticon who wasn't even able to protect herself? What the slag is so special about her?___________________________________

Fast, deadly and silent. Well, silent until the moment to strike at least.

"Your energon shall I taste, yes I will. Delicious it shall be."

Whatever made Weirdwolf utter those words aloud right before he bounced at the demon that had taken Blackwind - it didn't leave the demon enough time to react. The cyberwolf had already tackled the demon and its pray to the ground and sunk his fangs into its throat, tearing it open.

Not much later, his glowing red optics met with Thunderwing's in the darkness of the tunnel, fuel from the demon dripping from his jaws like drool. "Backdoor I found. Shortcut as well. Less than 2 kliks from here a hole in the ground is. Large enough to fly it is. Believe I will that an ancient venting shaft into the plasma energy chamber it is, reaching into the core of the planet perhaps!"

When Weirdwolf tackled the demon Blackwind fell right alongside the two struggling beasts. Weirdwolf made short work of the creature, and while the cyberwolf began to feast on his current kill Blackwind started to come back on line. As she began to focus on her surroundings she heard Weirdwolf address Thunderwing.

She slowly got back up to her feet, her hand immediately going to her forehead. Once she had gathered herself she looked up at Thunderwing, a serious expression upon her visage.

Blackwind then glanced at Weirdwolf for a moment.

“I certainly hope that that swarm nest was not alerted when you left your position."

To the Seeker femme there was no reason to make a spectacle with over flowing gratitude. After all it wasn’t in her nature to give thanks to anyone; of course with the exception of very few.

“Now then, we had better head to that hole. I’d prefer to get this mission over with sooner rather than later."

Thunderwing clambered through the tunnels. The added bulk of his carapace made it difficult to squeeze through the narrow passages. He wasn’t as slender as the skeletal demons or as small as Blackwind. He crashed through various hanging bits of metal and other loose parts. Speed was of the essence here though, not stealth. The demon would know he was coming either way, he just needed to catch up with it.

The Decepticon increased his pace when he what sounded like a battle up ahead. He had no desire to lose any member of his team, Blackwind in particular. He had grown fond of her, particularly as she was the only truly friendly company he had on Cybertron. All of the others were either pure warriors, annoying or had their own plans and machinations. Blackwind was as close to a trusted comrade as he was going to get and he did not want to lose her.

He was a bit surprised to come upon the scene of Weirdwolf tearing apart the demon and Blackwind slowly recovering. Apparently Weirdwolf was more on top of things then he had suspected. He nodded at the tracker. “Well done Weirdwolf. Lead the way to this hole. From there the dedicated fliers can take point."

The scientist then turned to Blackwind, a slight look of concern on his face. “I assume you suffered no serious injuries? With any luck that will be as eventful as it gets on this mission."

"Oh gratitude of yours, all inspiring it is." Weirdwolf chuckled in response to Blackwind's comment and transformed into his robot form, turning his attention to Thunderwing who had just showed up. "The Swarm to avoid, a detour I had to take. Strong and different your scent is wings of thunder, following it easy is. Admit I have to, a coincidence to meet the wind black within chosen route of mine was."

Drawing his sword and gun, Weirdwolf took the point and motioned the others to follow. "Warn you I must. The demon scent I spot not. Understand this I cannot."

>>"Darkwing! Dreadwind! I know you are still functioning!"<< Skullcruncher boomed into his communicator after arriving at the scene and hearing of Weirdwolf's discovery. >>"Goad Beastbox and Overkill through that fragging crack in the wall and join the rest of us here! Weirdwolf found an exhaust vent large enough to fly in! We're going deeper!"<<

Blackwind glance back at Thunderwing when the scientist inquired about the seriousness of her injuries. She shook her head in response, “No, I’ll be fine. Although I’m sure I’ll have a headache tomorrow." The Seeker flashed the scientist a quick smirk before she stepped past him and moved behind Weirdwolf, who had taken point in the tunnel.

As the group pressed on the lot remained quiet, unfortunately, the silence and the tight quarters only made things worse for Blackwind. She was used to open areas and bustling work stations, not this desolate tomb.

She brought her hand to her head, but her problem was not the pain from the blow to her head, but the thought of being trapped here without ever seeing the outside world again.

“Th…this shaft, once we’re finally in it, how long will it take to get down to the core?"

Thunderwing waved off Weirdwolf’s concerns. “The Demons have been down here before any of our recorded history. I imagine they have become very adept at hiding and hunting down here. To survive for so long they would have learned to avoid even the most sensitive of our scanning and tracking equipment. Do not let it concern you Weirdwolf."

The Decepticon scientist gave a quick nod to Blackwind acknowledging that she was still functional. He didn’t want to lose any member of his team on this mission, particularly being directly under Shockwave’s always watchful optic. Blackwind in particular though was of some importance. Her intelligence, skill and rank set her ahead of the others, among other things.

Thunderwing refocused on the mission at hand as Darkwing and Dreadwind rejoined the group with Overkill and Beastbox in tow. The group followed after Weirdwolf as he led them to the cavern in question. He turned his scanners down towards the depths of the shaft, trying to detect where it ended. He was unable to detect where it ended, but there was a trace of an energy reading which could very well be there objective.

“Wherever it leads it goes down deep into Cybertron and that is where our goal lies." He turned to face the other Decepticons. “I will take lead, the other fliers can follow me with Overkill and Beastbox riding with Darkwing and Dreadwind in their alternate modes."

The two fliers exchanged grim looks. Carrying passengers at all was not something they enjoyed, but when those passengers happened to be psychotic midgets it only made things worse. Still they weren’t about to argue with Thunderwing.

"Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher will take up the rear. I doubt we’ll have many worries from attackers plunging straight down." He nodded at them before he stepped off the ledge. He floated for a minute before transforming and shooting down the tunnel. Darkwing and Dreadwind followed, opening their cockpits to allow the cassetticons to transform and leap inside of them before racing after their commander.

With the arrival of Darkwing and Dreadwind, the entire group proceeded down the tunnel until they finally reached the ventilation shaft Weirdwold had come across earlier. Blackwind watched as Thunderwing moved to the edge of the shaft, scanning in order to detect its end point. To her dismay it seemed that even the ventilation shafts kept their secrets.

Blackwind’s uneasiness began to subside as she watched Thunderwing step off the ledge of the shaft and transformed before rocketing down towards the other end. Darkwing and Dreadwind immediately followed suit. She looked over her shoulder to Skullcruncher and Weirdwolf offering them a nod before she too stepped from the ledge, transformed and followed after the others.

"Heh, at least getting down will be easy enough." Skullcruncher said, flashing a grin at Weirdwolf before jumping down from the edge. Which was exactly what the tracker did as well.

"Most energy conservative way of moving free fall is." Weirdwolf replied back the larger Decepticon. Neither of the two Decepticon could really achieve much greater speed even through the use of their anti-gravity thrusters, so until their sensor began picking on obstacles they'd have to avoid, there was no reason to waste energon. It was time for the flyers to shine if anything were to attack them here.